Fashioning Modern Africanism

The pageant took place last night at the Strzelecki Park Amphitheatre in Nowy Sącz, Poland, where Chanique Rabe of Namibia crowned her successor at the end of the event. Twenty-four-year-old Mswane – who comes from KwaSokhulu in Richards Bay – represented South Africa against contestants from 69 other countries. Mswane was one of the front runners throughout the build-up to the finale, wowing the judges in the national costume competition which paid tribute to her Zulu heritage and was designed by Cape Town based Lloyd Kandlin, the director of the Costume Department.   The show was streamed live on YouTube.  Said Mswane after the pageant: “I am overwhelmed; at the moment it still feels surreal. I am deeply thankful to all the amazing people who have supported and uplifted me, I couldn’t have done it without them. I want to thank the organisers of Miss Supranational, the Polish people, all my fellow contestants, the Miss South Africa Organisation and my South African fans. This title is

From the emotions of excitement and how passionate he tells this story, it was clear without a doubt that Zwane's dreams truly came true when Mswane adorned his garment for homecoming in February. Having been an excellent academic pupil all his life, abandoning analytical chemistry to follow his dream to study fashion design was certainly one of the hardest things Zwane did as it disappointed his parents who were skeptical. Today his love for fashion is paying off and his parents have changed their minds about the trade. They watched him build his own studio behind their house after receiving his diploma in fashion design from the Tshwane University of Technology. He tells the story of perseverance with a vivid smile on his face because while their industry took a knock during lockdown in 2020, Zwane opted not to be negative and started making the artistic dress, knitting bits individually for nine months. Fast-forward two years later, his dress was adorned by arguably one of the m

The 24-year-old – who comes from KwaSokhulu in Richards Bay – graduated with a Bachelor of Law from the University of Pretoria. She is also a model and a dancer. Mswane received R1 million in cash as well as a further R3 million worth of sponsorships and prizes, including the use of a fully furnished and serviced apartment at the luxurious Central Square Sandton, with fabulous interior décor by Vursa, and a Mercedes Benz C-Class Sedan for the year of her reign.   The two runners-up were Moratwe Masima, a qualified doctor from Midrand in Gauteng, and BCom Law degree student Zimi Mabunzi from eQonce (King William’s Town) Eastern Cape. Both received R175 000.   These Top 3 will represent South Africa at the world’s three most prestigious pageants – Miss World, Miss Universe and Miss Supranational. The person going to which competition will be revealed in coming days as the Miss South Africa Organisation decides which candidate would do the best at which pageant.   The new Miss South Afric

Life’s journey and dreams about futures often do not run according to expectations, but whether life takes you to a national stage or you are left struggling to cope, it is self-belief and self-love that can restore the balance. When this advice comes from a Top 10 finalist in the current Miss South Africa pageant, it is easy to be sceptical. However, when the finalist is Lalela Mswane, and she reveals that her journey involved being bullied and isolated during her school years because she was ‘ gangly, tall and thin,’ perceptions begin to change. Lalela acknowledges that treatment meted out to her during her school years left their mark. It took a change of environment to the campus of the University of Pretoria, new surroundings, and new peers to change things. “I now identify strongly with the quotation that says, ‘since the beginning of time you have had everything within you to achieve anything you want to. It was the world that convinced you that you did not.’ I wish I had heard